Every now and again sport produces incredible narratives that even the most imaginative of scriptwriters would struggle to conjure up.
On Sunday, April 23, we saw one of those moments play out before our very eyes as Mitchell Hooper won the 2023 World’s Strongest Man at only his second attempt.
The 27-year-old’s victory proved the cherry on top of the cake following an exhilarating weekend of strength in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Two-time competition winner Tom Stoltman and Oleksii Novikov completed the podium with second and third-place finishes, respectively.
While Hooper had been tipped by many as the next big thing in strongman, few would have predicted that he would finish top of the pile.
After all, in 2022 he was a last-minute replacement pick, finishing a commendable eighth. No mean feat considering it was also the first international competition of his pro career.
But for those who have kept a close eye on his progress, all the signs were there that he would be a force to be reckoned with at this year’s games.
The Canadian stood on the podium at the 2022 Giants Live Strongman Classic, World Open, and the Shaw Classic.
He then went on to win the 2022 Arnold Strongman Classic UK, The Giants Live World Tour Finals, placed third at the 2022 Rogue Strongman Invitational, and, most notably, won the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic in Ohio.
Throughout the 5-day competition, Hooper made it clear that he could hang with, and surpass, veterans and legends of the sport alike.
He placed first or joint first in eight of 11 challenges, only dropping below second place in fan-favourite Fingal’s Fingers, where he placed sixth.
The Fingers challenges each of the nine finalists to lift and topple five hefty wooden pillars as quickly as possible.
That, however, was a mere blip in an otherwise flawless weekend for the record-setting athlete. He’s the first Canadian to win WSM and only the fifth to ever place.
Tom Magee, Dominic Filiou, JF Caron, and Maxime Boudreault are the others on the exclusive list.
2023 World’s Strongest Man Finals Leaderboard
- Mitchell Hooper (Canada)
- Tom Stoltman (United Kingdom)
- Oleksii Novikov (Ukraine)
- Trey Mitchell (United States)
- Evan Singleton (United States)
- Pavlo Kordiyaka (Ukraine)
- Brian Shaw (United States)
- Luke Stoltman (United Kingdom)
- Matthew Ragg (New Zealand)
- Jaco Schoonwinkel (South Africa) | Withdrew on the final day
Mitchell Hooper’s Event Results
- Loading Race: 5 objects in 0:42.05, 6pts | 1st place
- Deadlift Machine: 8 reps, 6pts | 1st place
- Log Ladder: 5 reps in 0:39.51, 6pts | 1st place
- Conan’s Wheel: 636 degrees, 6pts | 1st place
- Kettlebell Toss: 6 reps in 0:17.18, 6pts | 2nd place
- Reign Total Body Fuel Shield Carry: 64.80 meters, 10pts | 1st place
- KNAACK Deadlift: 8 reps, 10pts | 1st place
- Fingal’s Fingers: 5 reps in 0:49:89s, 5pts | 6th place
- Max Dumbbell: 4 reps, 9.5pts | t-1st place with Evan Singleton
- Bus Pull: 0:30:24s, 10pts | 1st place
- Atlas Stones: 5 reps in 0:036.96, 9pts | 2nd place
You can check out other upcoming strongman events in the UK on our events calendar here.
